Desert Rose
by Drekk
Summary: first Naruto fic. Naruto hates the way he is being treated. Kyuubi offers him a chance and he accepts. AU NarutoTemari eventually heheh
1. Chapter 1

Desert Rose.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto in any form or fashion.

"Speech"

'Thoughts'

**Demon talk**

_**Demon thoughts**_

Intro

Naruto slowly made his way down from his small apartment. Grimacing he stepped outside into the morning light. Pulling his jacket a bit tighter about him as he stepped out and began making his way to the team 7 training ground. His usual smile didn't make its self known; today of all days he wished he didn't have to wake up.

Today was his birthday, and for as long as he could remember, it had been hell. Looking about he noticed vendors setting up party decorations. Today was the annual celebration of the death of Kyuubi. The small boy picked up the pace a bit he had hoped to beat the vendors but it looked like they were setting up earlier this year. Turning a corner he stopped dead still. The little street was busy with vendors and early party goers. Turning around he hoped to try and slip past them through an ally. As he made his way quietly through the ally he thought back to last night.

(Flashback)

"Hey Sakura-chan you want to get a bite to eat?" Naruto asked as he came across Sakura.

Sakura had turned and glared at him. "NO! I would rather go out and eat with Kiba's dog than some perverted little dode like you." With that she had slapped him.

Hard.

Naruto was stunned as he looked up at the pink haired girl. "I'm sorry, I just wanted to be friends."

"Friends!." She cried. "The best thing you could ever do for us 'friend' is to leave and never come back! At least then you would be doing something right for a change."

Naruto slumped visibly before turning around and walking off.

(End Flashback)

Moving quickly down the alley he hoped to avoid the usual amount of glares and snide demon comments. He sighed as he made it through the alley. Turning he headed towards the spot where he joined his team every morning. As he neared the bridge he saw Sakura standing there looking towards the direction Sasuke usually approached from. He didn't feel like shouting hello to her today. Instead he moved off and sat down under one of the nearby trees. He started to meditate, trying to pass the time before Kakashi showed up.

He once again found himself amidst the blue that was his chakra but as he watched a small tendril of red began to mix in. Curious, he moved over and started to follow the trail of red chakra. After a few minutes, he looked up and found himself in what appeared to be a sewer. Shrugging, he continued down the sewer following the red chakra trail.

Suddenly, the sewer opened up, revealing a monstrous barred door. Curiosity got the better of him, and he slowly approached the door that the trail of chakra led to. As he stood in front of the cage he suddenly felt a massive rush of wind as something massive moved behind the bars.

**I've been waiting for quiet some time, Naruto.**

"Who's there?" Naruto asked.

**It depends, what do you want kit.**

Naruto stopped for a moment. "What do you mean?"

A bone chilling laugh echoed out of the cage. **What I mean is do you want my help to become strong or do you want to continue training with those who only seek to hurt you.**

Naruto stared at the darkness inside the cage. "You want to help me become strong? What's the catch?"

**No catch I may be a demon but I am no monster. What you have had to endure for 12 years is my fault and I would like a chance to make it up to you. **

Naruto stared at the darkness in the cage. "Ok let me get this straight you want to help me because you feel sorry for twelve years of hell I have had to live through?"

**Yes.**

"Who the hell are you?"

**My name is Kyuubi I am the nine tailed demon fox that attacked Konoha twelve years ago. I was sealed inside you, and I have had to watch you live through hell because of my anger.**

Naruto felt his jaw drop as the cage became illuminated.

The fox sat facing the cage his nine tails sweeping back and forth behind him.

**So I ask you will you let me make amends for my mistake.**

Naruto stared at the Kitsune for a moment. "You saw my life and yet you did nothing."

The Kitsune lowered its head. **There was nothing I could do. The seal that imprisoned me within you prevents me from helping you. The only thing I could do is feed your body my chakra so you could heal faster. But now that you have learned about me and have talked with me the seal will allow more of my chakra to infuse with you so now I can help you. That is if you still want my help?**

Naruto moved to the bars and reached through to the Kitsune. "Yes, I want your help! I want to become the strongest Shinobi in existence!"

The Kitsune reached out with its tails and wrapped them around his wrists.** Then let us begin your training. **

Naruto screamed as Kyuubi's raw chakra flooded through him.

Sakura jumped from her spot on the bridge as she heard the scream. Looking behind her she saw Naruto writhing on the ground as a blood red chakra began to ooze from his body. She watched in horror as the young man sat up threw back his head and screamed as the strange chakra enveloped him whole. The ground seemed to rise up with massive cracks appearing on its surface. Sakura could only watch as the ground seemed to roll over on the boy, swallowing him. She raced over to the spot he had just been, but to no avail.

Naruto was gone.

Kakashi and Sasuke raced from the woods at full speed. The two ninja reached the bridge and vaulted over it, hoping to catch whoever had released that massive amount of chakra. Both were startled to see Sakura sitting amidst the destruction. She was crying as she held up Naruto's headband to the two stunned ninja.

"He's gone." Was all she could trust her self to say.

A/N I know it's short. Just wanted to start it.

Ch 1: Training from Kyuubi.

Ch 2: Gone (the village is worried that Naruto is gone)

These are the next Ch so be ready


	2. Chapter 2

Desert Rose

Ch 1

Temari

Temari was staring at her father the Kazekage as if he had suddenly sprouted another head. She calmly replayed what he just told her and she felt her anger rise. Gaara and Konkuro were also sitting there watching there father as he told them his plans. Konkuro was confused and when he turned to see his big sister he saw her struggling to stay in control but before anyone could speak their father waved his hand and turned his back on them.

As the Sand team made there way home Temari who usually was very outspoken was staying very silent as they made there way down the empty streets. Konkuro was starting to get nervous the last time he saw Temari this quiet was when the sand nin had grabbed her ass the following few seconds were extremely tense till she had spun around and literally split the poor guy in half with one shot. Since then when ever she got this quiet he would leave a lot of room between them to ensure he wasn't the next victim.

However as he watched her he knew this wasn't like the other times this time it was different he paused and let Temari walk towards him. She wasn't paying any attention to where she was walking so when Konkuro stepped directly in front of her she ran right smack into him. It took a moment for her brain to register the impact but that moment was all Konkuro needed to wrap his arms around her and pull her close.

Temari felt her brothers embrace and on instinct wrapped her arms around him and cried into his chest. He felt a tear make it's way down his cheek he cared for his big sister she had kept an eye on him when they were younger and she was the only one to restrain Gaara when he was mad. But now his sister was going to be leaving true she hit him when she caught him looking at other girls but even then he never loved her any less. He just couldn't wrap his mind around what it was going to be like living in this village without his big sister.

He nearly jumped when he felt another arm wrap around his waist. Looking over his sister's shoulder he saw to his surprise and a bit of fear the youngest of the trio. Gaara was hugging both Temari and Konkuro. Seeing a tear slide down his little borhters face he realized that even the Shukaku vessel would miss his sister so pushing slightly he loosened his grip on his sister and through his little brother into the hug grateful for the change in him.

Konkuro and Temari were still trying to figure out how there little brother had changed. For the longest time he had killed indiscriminately any one who wandered to close but two years ago when he disappeared into the desert he had returned and when he saw Temari and Konkuro he had scared them both so badly when he apologized to them they thought it was a trick by an enemy nin to catch them off guard but after a few months they noticed the change in Gaara he didn't kill anyone who got to close anymore. Konkuro had actually caught him one day while he was trying to smile.

And now Gaara was shedding a few tears for his sister who was leaving. As Temari got a hold of herself once more Gaara and Konkuro released her from the hug and together they once more walked back home. That night dinner was quiet but that was to be expected due to the circumstances. When dinner was finished Temari excused her self and went to her room. Gaara waited a few moments before he used his sand to teleport away. Konkuro waited a few moments and then walked to his room.

Outside of Suna there was a small oasis that travelers used to stock up on last minute water before heading across the desert the leaves on the palms rustled as a small whirlwind of sand appeared. Gaara stepped out of the jutsu and looked about before he took his seat to wait for his friend to arrive.

An hour had passed when Gaara stood back up as the bushes on the opposite shore of the oasis rustled softly. Gaara was patient he understood his friends reluctance to just jump out into the clearing. The bushes rustled more violently as a large creature emerged from them. The large ears dropped behind it's head as maniacal eyes darted about carefully taking in all that was around him. His reddish fur covered his body and as the rest of the creature appeared it stood up on his hind legs in a more comfortable position revealing the clawed hands that hung past the now standing creature's waist. The only thing left in the bush was his tail till the thing stepped forward and allowed the last of his body to clear the leaves. Five long red fox tails moved about behind the creature as it knelt to drink from the crystal clear water.

Drinking deeply the being raised back to its full height and as Gaara watched the fur receded back. The long clawed arms slowly shrunk till they were perfectly normal shape. The tails slowly disappeared till only one blood red tail was left visible, but Gaara knew that this tail would not go away. Once the transformation was complete Gaara felt his grin reappear.

"It's been awhile Naruto."

A/N sorry it has been so long and this ch so short but I had soemthing come up and I didn't like how the story was going so I stopped erased what I had written then took a break for a few months to get that junk out of my system and when I finally got back to this story I had new ideas this ch is short but I promise that my next ch will make up for it I hope so please any reviews be kind I hate my job at this time of year working retail is no fun add on top of that getting over the lose of my girl and both my aunt and my dad dealing with cancer in the span of 6 months tends to push my levels of sanity

so sorry again that this took so long but now that I know what I am going to do the next ch will be a hell of alot better


	3. Chapter 3

Desert Rose

Ch 3

Beauty meets the beast.

Disclaimer: I don't own nothing.

Kankuro watched as his sister finished packing her things her eyes were still red rimmed but he expected that. HE felt his anger rise towards their father this was very unlike him in the past he would have never split the siblings up for fear of Gaara losing control. Regardless of how they felt he was in charge of the village and they were subject to his decisions regardless of how strange they were.

Temari finished packing her trunk and watched as the Jounin escort stepped inside and placed a scroll on the floor and sealed the one trunk inside of it before handing the scroll to Temari. Kankuro stepped outside as the escort and his sister moved into the hall only to stop as Gaara stood blocking their path. Temari was unsure of what to do she had hoped to leave before he had returned but fate was against her. She smiled to her little brother ever since he had returned from the desert a changed person they had grown very close and she was going to miss him terrible. Gaara calmly stepped forward and wrapped his arms about her surprising her slightly since he was still getting used to physical contact like this. Temari wrapped her arms about her and hugged him knowing it was going to be a long time before she would be able to see him and Kankuro again.

"Whatever happens trust the fox." She almost didn't hear his whisper and she was about to ask when he stepped back and in his usual stoic voice spoke towards the guards. "You had best make sure she comes to no harm or you will answer to me." With that he turned and walked back to the stairs and disappeared out of view.

The guards shuddered slightly and gestured for Temari to precede them as they exited the house. Slowly they moved to the village walls and joined the rest of the escorts as one they walked into the desert beyond. She didn't look back she knew if she did she wouldn't be able to continue but if she had she would have seen her brothers watching form the city wall as they watched the one important person to them disappear from view.

…..

The days passed but Temari didn't notice her mind was still going over what was about to happen to her. Whatever respect she had for her father was destroyed when he informed her of the village's alliance to the leaf. IT wasn't the alliance that bothered her it was the pact that sealed the alliance that bothered her. She was to wed a boy from the leaf village someone by the name of Sasuke Uchiha. From what she knew he was the last surviving member of his clan the rest were wiped out by a fellow clans member leaving only one survivor. She knew what was going to happen to her and she hated this boy for it both villages saw it as an opportunity to exploit her. Her father was using her to make peace and the leaf village was going to use her as a breeding factory for more of their precious Uchiha.

She hated what her life was to become but the guards were vigilant enough that she couldn't escape so she resigned herself to her fate. The one puzzling situation was Gaara's remark to her before she left. She stopped her musing as they approached the boarder of Wind and fore nations. Here she was to be handed over to her "husbands" escort and guided back to her new home. The meeting place was a rather open clearing in the woods. Temari was allowed to wander a little ways from camp but if she went to far the escort would track her down and return her to the camp and refuse to let her leave again. She was taking her time enjoying the fauna that grew abundant here. She was sniffing a rather lovely flower when the bush next to her rustled. She was about to jump back when she heard a voice coming from the bush.

"Are you Temari?"

Looking back over her shoulder as if to check her distance to the camp she returned to her flower watching as to avoid attracting the guards.

"Yes."

"Good, I am a friend of Gaara your brother."

Temari nearly fell over in shock. Gaara didn't have any friends outside of her and Kankuro. Now her curiousity was really going.

"How do you know Gaara?"

The bush rustled a bit. "Sorry I can't tell you that just yet but believe me I am here to help you so please trust me. Will you trust me?"

She seemed to think it over before she leaned over a bit more. "Are you a fox by any chance?"

The bush stopped moving and she heard what sounded like a muffled giggle. "That is Gaara's nickname for me."

"Then I do trust you my brother told me to trust the fox."

Their conversation was cut off when a group of nin jumped into the clearing and the escort for her gestured for her to join them. Temari rose slowly and moved towards them hoping that she didn't just dream of that voice offering assistance. When she reached the guards they quickly disassembled the camp and nodded to the foreign nin in their midst. When they finished packing a young man appeared in front of them. His black hair contrasted by his blue clothing, She grimaced slightly at the sight of his face and eyes to her it looked as if he had never smiled in his life. He grunted as he was introduced to her. She glared at him and saw him smirk and she felt a chill run up her spine at what she saw in his eyes.

"She'll do." Was al he said before he turned and jumped into the branches. The nin that escorted him laughed and she watched her fellow nin leave as the last one left the clearing he glanced back at her and she swore she could have seen a look of sorrow on his face and she felt better knowing they weren't enjoying this. The leaf nin didn't leave her much time to reminisce before one of them grabbed her arm and jerked her forwards.

"Move!"

She reluctantly began to move till something hit the guard holding her arm with enough force that it spun her around. She dazedly glanced about as the forest erupted into roars and screams of pain. The remaining nin quickly circled up and took a defensive position. She turned to them hoping they would protect her till she saw something red explode from the under brush and charge the nin. The young man facing the creature screamed and launched a flurry of shuriken at it only to see the blur arch upwards and land in the midst of them. The shinobi quickly turned but to no avail as two of the nins exploded into clouds of blood and sinew the two remaining guards took to the trees hoping to escape one made it but the other was caught in mid jump and slammed so violently into the tree that his body wrapped around it with a bone crunching sound that didn't bode well for him. The last nin was so busy looking back he failed to see where he was jumping and in one jump flew right into the creatures waiting arms. HE screamed as the creature squeezed him till there was one more bone chilling crunch and the nins body dropped to the forest floor in a heap.

Temari was still standing where they leaf nin had left her. She pulled a shuriken out of it's holster and stood ready to defend herself. She saw a group of bushes rustle across from her and she took a defensive stance facing the bushes. AS the creature appeared in front of her the shuriken fell from her fingers as her body began to seize. Her last conscious thought was that the creature looked just like a fox before the darkness claimed her.

……

Temari slowly swam up from the pool of darkness at first she didn't know what had happened but as her mind slowly recovered she recalled exactly what had happened. She froze and cracked an eye and took a quick evaluation of her surroundings. She was surprised to find herself propped up against a tree. Turning her head slightly to gaze at was behind her she just saw the open forest beyond. Moving slowly as to keep herself from blacking out again she got to her feet.

A rustling of the bushes nearby caused her to spin and nearly lose her balance. She feared that the beast was back but to her surprise a young man stepped out of the bush dressed in mix match of green and black clothing he was obviously younger than she was. Surprised she glanced about quickly. Seeing this the boy stopped.

"Is something wrong?"

She glanced back at him. "Yes, something just attacked the group I was traveling with."

The boy shrugged. "There dead but from the way they were treating you I doubt any of them were a friend of yours."

Temari shook her head. "No they were no friends of mine they were sent to escort me to my husband to be." The last part was said with a volume of venom and hate that didn't go unnoticed by the boy.

"So it was true you were forced into an arranged marriage for the so called greater good, am I right?"

Temari stared at him then nodded. "How do you know this?"

The boy grinned and placed a hand behind his head which was covered in a long blond hair with red tips. "Heheh, your brother told me and asked that I intervene and offer my help to you."

Temari sat down and scooted back till she felt the tree at her back. "That was you. You killed those nin from the leaf?"

The boy dropped his arm and crouched down. "Yeah it was the only way if I didn't they would have reported back to Konoha that you were taken by me and they would have started a search but this way they will think an enemy village took you."

"How can you be so sure?"

The boy grinned. "I left a couple of head protectors from a nearby enemy so they will think it was them that is why I didn't use any chakra if I had they would have known instantly that it was me. So I apologize for the way I had to step in but I am sure you understand I had no choice in order for your rescue to be successful."

Temari nodded slowly. "So what do we do now?"

"We are going to head off to my little home and get something to eat and rest up for a few days then we are going to meet your brothers."

Before she could speak she heard a sound that made her skin crawl it sounded like something chewing on bones and she watched in rapt fascination as the boy slowly transformed in front of her. His red tipped hair slowly grew to cover his body and his arms lengthened and turned into massive claws. She winced as tails began to erupt from his back side till a total of five tials waved about him. His head grew slightly larger and his ears lengthened and Temari found her self once more staring into the eyes of her demon rescuer.

He moved forwards and she tried to stand but he quickly picked her up off the ground and darted of into the forest. Temari prided herself on never screaming when her little brother went on a rampage but when the fox demon leapt off the ground and into the tree tops she did scream. The branches went fast so quickly she was finding it hard to focus on anything other than the boy carrying her.

She screamed once more as he leapt high and cleared the canopy of trees. She glanced down and saw an open field spreading out before her. She barely felt the ground when he hit and began to run across the field. In the distance she saw a small cabin with a little smoke curling out of the chimney. As he neared the cabin he began to slow down till he was slowly walking up onto the porch. He gently put Temari on her feet and opened the door. Temari hesitated for a second then decided she was here why not see what was going on and calmly stepped inside.

There was a small fire going in the fire place with a large cauldron sitting over the flame. She neared the giant pot and her curiosity was peaked as a very enticing aroma wafted up to her. Turning to look at the rest of the cabin she saw a rather large bed to the side of the fireplace to take advantage of the heat. In the center of the room was a large table with several chairs She also saw several things out of place there were several sets of cloths laying about but they were obviously to small for her rescuer to wear.

"You must be Temari we have been expecting you." She whirled and felt her jaw drop at the sight before her.


	4. Chapter 4

Desert Rose

Ch 4

You want me to do what???

Temari felt her jaw drop at the sight before her. Standing in the doorway stood a stunningly beautiful young woman. Her jet black hair reached her lower back and was restrained by a simple red tie. A sudden movement at her side drew Temari's attention a little boy was clutching at her red hakema.

"Momma who is that?"

Temari smiled sweetly at the little boy as the woman leaned down to the him and gathered him up into her arms. "This is Temari your daddy's friend."

Temari started. "Daddy?"

The woman looked back up at her. "Yes Naruto is their father even though he wasn't the one to help create them he is the one who has helped me raise them." She turned the little one towards the single bed and pushed him towards it. The mysterious woman smiled so lovingly that Temari felt a small pain in her heart at seeing the look. Once the boy had bundled himself into the blanket the woman gestured to the table and Temari took a seat.

"My name is Umi and I know your name from Naruto but what he hasn't told me is how he knows you."

Temari tilted her head slightly. "I don't know him at all when my father the Kazkage told me of my betrothal to a Konoha leaf nin Gaara disappeared for a while and when I was leaving he came to me and told me to trust the fox. So earlier today I was about to be taken to Konoha when he saved me."

Umi grinned and moved to the pot she took the ladle and stirred the contents before looking back at Temari. "I'm sure you have a couple of questions yourself?"

Temari nodded. "Who is Naruto or should I ask what is he?"

Umi smiled before sitting down. "Who is the right way to ask he isn't a demon. Well not completely and defiantly not by choice. You have heard of the Kyuubi no Kitsune that attacked Konoha?" Temari nodded. "Well they couldn't kill it since no man can kill a demon lord so they sealed it into the body of a new born baby. The Yondaime gave his life to complete the sealing process. After that Naruto has had the entire village after him because of something he couldn't control."

Temari sat there and stared at her. "What do you mean hated didn't he kill those that attacked him?"

Umi shook her head. "No he would never hurt them. It was only after a bunch of small missions did he come in contact with the Kyuubi sealed inside of him. The Kyuubi offered him a choice to accept his help or remain in the village. So as you can tell he accepted Kyuubi's help and well the rest is history."

Temari was about to ask a question but a commotion at the door distracted her. She was about to get to her feet when the door opened to reveal Naruto in his fox form holding a small boy over his shoulder with a little girl cuddled up in the nook of his right arm. Temari glanced back at the bed and saw that the little boy was no longer there. Umi walked over to Naruto and gently took the little girl into her own arms as Naruto walked past her towards the bed. The boy began to struggle more squealing and laughing as the fox curled up on the bed pinning the boy down. Temari giggled as she watched the boy try and wriggle free but every time he was about to escape Naruto would roll or move enough that the boy was pinned again.

Temari was laughing outright when the boy finally managed to get free of the fox and took up refuge behind his mother. The fox crawled off the bed and walked on all fours towards the giggling boy. Umi stepped in the way of the two and held out the little girl to Naruto. The fox stopped and smiled at the girl Temari froze if she hadn't known that he was playing around she most likely would have screamed at the smile. The little girl cooed and grabbed at his whiskers.

Wincing slightly as the girl got a grip he stood up on his back legs and took the girl and after convincing her to let his whiskers go he placed her on his shoulders where she immediately grabbed his long ears. She laughed as she twisted his ears about as if she was trying to steer him about the room. Temari was feeling a little out of place as she watched the small group interact. Umi was placing dinner on the table as Naruto kept the children occupied. When five bowels of stew were placed about the table she called for the Naruto and the children to come and eat since they had made their way back outside. Temari felt the cold night air hit her when the door was opened again and she shivered.

Naruto was changing back to his human form and had wrapped a robe about himself and Temari looked a little confused till Umi handed him a change of clothes and Naruto disappeared behind a changing screen. Temari flushed at the thought that when she was talking to him in the clearing he had been completely nude. Umi caught the blush and smiled.

"That is the one major drawback to his transformations he destroys whatever clothing he is wearing at the time so most of the time he just stays in his demon form and only changes when he eats or needs to go into the village for anything."

Temari nods as Naruto reappears from behind the screen wearing a simple outfit he grins and sits down at the table quickly followed by the children who sit next to him. Temari was feeling very confused she could feel the affection but something seemed a bit off. Shurgging she pushed the thoughts to the back of her mind to think on later and quickly sat back down in front of her bowel of stew which she ate with much enthusiasm.

After dinner Naruto had shifted back to his fox form and disappeared out the door. Temari looked questioningly at Umi hopping to find out some more information on her rescuer. Umi only smiled and as she finished with the dishes began to tuck the two children into bed. Temari watched as the two tussled slightly since the boy didn't want to go to bed just yet but he soon lost the battle to sleep and was tucked in.

After some time Temari heard the door open once more and she gasped a bit as the fox walked back inside. She was still finding it difficult to not to scream when she saw him and remembered how easily he had dispatched the konoha leaf nin. Umi was behind the changing screen and when she reappeared she had what looked like a loose pair of pants and a comfortable looking shirt on and she crawled into bed and placed herself between the two children the little boy was on her right side nearest to the wall and the little girl was in her right arm soon she fell asleep with a content smile on her face.

Temari watched and smiled till she felt a clawed hand on her shoulder. Looking over her shoulder she saw Naruto holding a bundle of cloths that matched Umi's pajamas. Smiling sweetly she took the offered cloths and moved behind the screen. When she reappeared she saw a sight she hadn't expected. On the bed was Naruto with his left arm was behind Umi's head and the little girl was nestled into his side between the woman and the fox. Temari was slightly confused as to where she was to sleep when a strong gust of wind hit the cabin and a draft slipped under the door making her shiver. Naruto looked up at her and held out his right hand to her.

Temari was a bit hesitant but when the wind returned she quickly accepted the offered hand and crawled under the blanket she felt uncomfortable when Naruto pulled her next him but soon she found out he had a reason for it. As she tried to get warm she sighed when she found that his body was putting of an enormous amount of heat and when the wind returned she found that the draft was actually quiet nice since it felt like a warm night on the desert with those thoughts occupying her mind she fell into a deep dreamless sleep.

……

Temari woke to a very appetizing smell which made her stomach grumble. Opening her eyes she found that she was the last one to wake up. Umi was near the hearth and she saw that Temari was awake she smiled and beckoned her to the table. Temari was a little loath to leave the warm bed but the smell of food and the rumbling of her stomach quickly convinced her to leave. As she sat down to eat Umi sat across from her and sipped on a glass of tea. Temari was enjoying the unique flavor of the eggs and bacon when she realized something was missing. Glancing quickly about she realized that the two children weren't around.

"Where are the children?"

"There with Naruto he teaches them in the morning."

Temari nodded and finished eating as she stood taking her plate to the sink she realized that she was alone with Umi and now was the best time to get some answers.

"Umi can I ask you a question?"

Umi took a sip of her tea and smiled at Temari. "Ask away."

"Well I am wandering are you two together?"

Umi giggled softly and Temari blushed realizing how the question sounded but before she could try and fix her mistake in wording Umi held up her hand to forestall any more talk.

"No Naruto and I are not together in the married sense though I have tried to repay him for his rescue and all of the help he has given me and my family but he has always refused any pleasure he told me that having someone who wasn't scared of him was all the reward he needed."

Temari was really confused now. "Rescue?"

Umi nodded slowly. "Yes I was forced into an arranged marriage with a very brutal man. After being his wife for a year I became pregnant and he lost interest in me when Maiuso was born my so called husband put me out on the streets. I managed to survive for a while doing odd jobs for the village women so I could support my son. I thought I was lucky when I secured passage with a caravan to another village but misfortune struck and the caravan was attacked by a pack of missing nin and the guards were quickly killed. The nin were ruthless the women were herded to a small clearing where they . . ."

Umi paused here and Temari understood what happened next so with a comforting hand she encouraged Umi to move past that part.

"Afterwards the nin began to kill off the women that weren't valuable enough to keep alive. They managed to kill two women when Naruto appeared he took one look at what they did to us and he went berserk. You saw what he did to the leaf nin am I correct?"

Temari nodded. "Very quick, very savage."

"Well what he did to those nin was beyond brutal. I couldn't begin to tell you what he did to them but what I can tell you is that what where he would have left bodies he left pieces of them. When he calmed down he helped the women make it to the village where he was greeted with hatred and violence the girls he had rescued didn't understand he had saved them and the village claimed that he was the one that attacked the caravan. When we were settling in several of the guards saw my son and I and told us that they would gladly protect us if I made their patrols more enjoyable. I told them no and they tried to attack me but Naruto intervened and the guards ran. I begged him if I could go with him and was overjoyed when he told me that I could."

Temari smiled. "So that was how he saved you but I am curious when you said you tried to repay him you didn't mean try and sleep with him?"

Umi blushed a bit. "Well actually I did offer but he told me that he wasn't meant to have a mate and I realized I was hurting him by trying so I stopped and we have grown close. When I found out I was pregnant with a child from the missing nin's attack I nearly killed myself but he stopped me."

Temari sat back trying to imagine what it would be like to have a child growing inside of you that you didn't want. She shivered. Umi noticed the shiver. "Yes at first I hated the thought of one of those bastards' children growing in me till Naruto told me something interesting. He said that even though the child was conceived in violence the child still deserved a chance to be raised with love. At first I thought he was insane till I sat down and really thought it over I asked him if he would help me raise the child which he gladly accepted and to this day the children have always called him dad. It made him so happy the first time Mauiso called him dad he nearly cried."

Temari felt tears come to her eyes imaging how Naruto must have felt since he didn't feel that he deserved a mate yet he had two children calling him dad. There was a knock on the door and Umi frowned. When she stood the door exploded inward and a silver haired man stepped inside.

"Where is the fox demon?"

There was an explosion outside followed by a voice Temari would never forget.

_**"I'm Right here Kakashi-sensei."**_


	5. Chapter 5

Desert Rose

Ch 5

Betrayed

Kakashi turned and glared back at Naruto. "You killed several Konoha shinobi and I want to know why?"

The fox form of Naruto grinned. _They were intruding on my territory and were hurting a guest of mine so my actions were justified._

Kakashi stepped closer to Naruto. "They were escorting that young woman to her future husband as part of a treaty between Leaf and Sand. You had no right to interfere with the exchange of items."

Naruto growled and Kakashi realized he shouldn't have said that last remark. _You have five minutes to get out of my territory if you are not gone by then I will track you down and skin you alive and as further notice any Konoha shinobi crossing into my territory that I catch will be killed on the spot._

Kakashi stared at Naruto. "You can't do that it violates . . . ." The rest of his comment was cut off by the clawed hand wrapped around his lower face as he was lifted off the ground.

_I have every right as the agreement reached between the third and I this land is mine in exchange for my protection against other demons now then if you fail to comply with my wishes I will no longer uphold my end of the bargain and you will have several very pissed off demons out to destroy Konoha quiet possible myself included. Now that this has been decided, LEAVE!!!!_

With that Naruto threw Kakashi across the clearing where Kakashi rolled and got back to his feet. With a parting glance he shot towards Temari and Umi he disappeared back into the woods.

Temari slumped to the porch with a sigh as Naruto walked back towards them. When he was next to them Temari felt his clawed hand on her shoulder and she glanced up at him. He gave her a cocky grin as he stepped back inside the house.

Umi smiled towards the now confused Temari. "Well that makes it official. You are now a part of his family he will protect you and care for you as long as you wish to remain here."

Temari stared back through the door as Naruto appeared wearing his robe once again. "It's true you will be welcome here anytime and while you are in my territory you will be my guest and as such you will be under my protection."

Naruto suddenly found him self starring at the ceiling and was confused as to how he was looking straight up till he glanced down and saw a mess of blonde hair. She was mumbling thank you than you over and over again and Naruto smiled till the little boy saw him on the floor and quickly took advantage of the situation and dog pilled Naruto.

……

Kakashi was upset that the mission had gone bad. He quickly made his way to the Hokage's tower and told the receptionist that he needed to speak with the hokage as quickly as possible. The young woman nodded and stepped inside for a few minutes, when she reappeared she gestured for Kakashi to go on in. As Kakashi stepped inside he not only saw Suratobi but he also saw several of the village council members waiting to see him.

Sarutobi nodded towards Kakashi. "Well was your mission successful in retrieving Sasuke's future wife?"

Kakashi shook his head. "No, Naruto apparently intercepted the escort and Temari is his guest and under his protection. Any action taken towards retrieving her will be taken as a hostile act by Naruto he himself told as of now any Konoha shinobi entering his territory will be attacked on sight and killed. So as it stands we cannot do anything without breaking the treaty."

Sarutobi nodded and was about to speak when a council member stepped forward. "This is the final straw we can no longer tolerate this disrespect from an upstart demon we should send in the root and wipe him and his spawn off the face of the earth and retrieve the girl." Several other members nodded in approval and mumbled in agreement.

"That will be quiet enough Dozu. Have you forgotten that the so called demon has protected us from several small demons that have sought to make a name for themselves by wiping out Konoha and let us not forget he is still absorbing the Kyuubi and can still tap into it's power so any attack will encourage his wrath on this village."

Dozu refused to back down and stood directly in front of the Hokage's desk. "You forget you place you can order the shinobi around but you cannot order us around without major repercussion. If you refuse to retrieve the girl then we will let slip what exactly has happened to Konoha shinobi that were simply escorting the happy wife to be to her beloved husband when the demon kidnapped her and killed her guards. The riot that will ensue when they find out that you refused to help the distraught husband retrieve his wife."

Kakashi stared at Dozu this was outright insubordination but deep down her knew that it would happen exactly as Dozu said it would. If Sarutobi refused to let root retrieve the girl Dozu would cause a riot and the hokage would be thrown out of office for being incompetent and the council would seize control. Sarutobi stared at Dozu and sighed he had no choice in order to maintain some peace he had no choice but to concede to the councils wishes.

……

Naruto was sitting on the little porch of his house playing with the little girl who was trying in vain to catch on of his tails. Umi was inside with Temari who had decided to help cook lunch. Both women were watching Naruto and the little girl play outside and giggled at the frustrated look on her face as the tail moved away from her again. Temari was giggling till they heard a loud laugh and looked out the window Umi froze seeing that her daughter had caught one of Naruto's tails while the demon was looking towards the woods. Temari saw Umi freeze and was about to ask when the young woman grabbed her hand and pulled her away form the window and back to where her son was sitting at the table. Umi grabbed him and rushed out the door grabbing her daughter from Naruto.

Temari was following very confused until she heard Naruto roar and take off into the forest. She followed Umi till the where well within the trees. Umi paused under a rather large tree and sat her children down. The little boy immediately took his sister and they crawled into a hole that was made into the roots. Umi stood and pulled the kunai from the small of her back and held it like a knife. Temari watched as the gently face looking mother slowly turned into a battle hardened soldier. Temari pulled one of the scrolls from her belt and slid it open running her blood across the seal her fan appeared. Umi looked a little confused before Temari snapped the fan open with a grin.

……

Naruto was up in the trees once more watching as a group of Nins slowly made their way towards the clearing. Each Nin had an identical face mask and Naruto smiled before he slowly made his way down to the forest floor. One of the roots squad paused under his tree and was waiting for the signal to launch an attack against the small building just inside the clearing. He shifted uncomfortable feeling as if he was being watched. He didn't have time to act or call out a warning as a red tail wrapped around his throat lifting him off the ground.

The commander of the squad paused for only a second before giving the signal to attack. Three roots members stepped forward and unleashed several massive fireballs towards the cabin. When the cabin exploded the commander nodded to himself. Till something wet hit him from behind. Confused he glanced down and saw the severed head of his new rookie gazing up at him with dead eyes. '_This isn't good.'_

"GET AWAY FROM THE TREES!!!" He yelled to his men.

Three more men came running out of the trees the forth man wasn't as lucky as he was clearing the last tree a red claw exploded through his chest. The commander didn't even need to order them to attack as three plumes of fire erupted towards the impaled Nin. For a moment the man who was in charge of his men's lives could have sworn he saw fear in the dying mans eyes as he was engulfed in fire.

The explosion took them by surprise.

Staring up at the sky the struggled back to their feet only to see the trees around the detonation sight were torn from the ground. The leader of the roots squad felt as if something was off and started to look about. When a monstrous red creature erupted from further down the tree line the commander felt fear clench his stomach as the creature pelted towards them on all fours. His men didn't need to be ordered as they raised a shield of earth to block any attack from the demon child.

When no attack came they began to wonder what was going on they never knew what hit them as a plum of molten rock erupted from the ground engulfing one of the roots who didn't even have time to scream as his body was consumed. The remaining 5 leapt back and took a defensive position. The commander had tried but found he couldn't move from his spot as a pool of red chakra held him in place. A red claw ripped threw the earth shield and grabbed a roots Nin then pulled him back through the hole the only problem was that the hole was smaller than the nin. Two fire balls followed the Nin through the hole as his comrades backed further away leaving their commander behind. The earth shield shuddered as something huge hit it, the men expecting an attack began to funnel chakra into there perspective attacks when one of them happened to look up. Naruto wielding what looked to be a shaft of pure chakra was falling straight towards them. The unexpected direction of attack gives Naruto all the time he needs to throw the shaft of chakra towards the Nin. The chakra angled towards them spinning like a boomerang two of the Nins jump up and over the swirling blade and are caught in the explosion as the chakra weapon detonated. Their scorched bodies fall back to the ground with a thud as the two remaining Nins stare at the demon that is standing before them holding another chakra boomerang. Seeing that they were about to die they pulled their Anbu swords and charged Naruto who simply brought the boomerang to bear and blocked their swords.

The two Nins jump back and begin to flank Naruto hoping to catch him off guard since it was one weapon against two until the watch another boomerang appear in Narutos outstretched hand. The men launched their attacks simultaneously only to have the boomerang block their attacks. With surprising speed Naruto spin kicks the Nin in front of him several feet away. The Nin rolled with the attack and as he came back to his feet he only a had a moment to register the boomerang striking the ground right in front of him before it too detonated. The Nin behind Naruto can only stare at his sword as it falls apart before his eyes roll back into his head and hand he falls to the ground on both of his sides.

The commander felt the pool of chakra begin to move and glanced down to see a claw grab his feet as the "arm" ripped out of the earth leading back to Naruto the arm lifted him off the ground and brought him flying towards him. His body was flung to the ground so hard that it knocked the wind from his lungs. Coughing he tried to get to his feet only to have something strike his side lifting him off the ground and hurling him several feet where he struck the ground hard again.

_Why did you attack my home?_

The roots commander staggered to his feet coughing violently. "We were ordered to destroy a threat to the village."

He failed to block the punch that connected with the side of his head. When he hit the ground he felt a dull pop and saw his wrist was bent in an unnatural way. He clutched his broken wrist and tried to stand up. Only to have his body jerked upwards by the fox demon.

_I was no threat to the village. I help protect the village from any upstart demon who tries to destroy Konoha. So I ask you again, why would you attempt to kill innocent children who were in my protection?_

The man before Naruto laughed. "You expect me to believe that your spawn are innocent any children of a demon are demons themselves and I was glad to take on the mission to destroy any threat to my home." The Nins laugh was cut off by the constricting of his airway as he was held aloft.

_THOSE CHILDREN ARE HUMAN I HAD NO PART IN THEIR CONCEPTION IF YOU WANT TO BLAME SOMEONE FOR THEIR BEING HERE BLAME THE MISSING NIN THAT RAPED THEIR MOTHER. I WOULD RATHER DIE THAN FORCE ANY FEMALE TO ENGAGE IN ANY ACT WITH ME LIKE THAT SO IF I REFUSE TO SINK SO LOW AS TO RAPE A WOMAN DOES THAT MAKE ME A DEMON. _

Naruto releases the Nin and he falls to the ground gasping for air. _Go get out of here. Return to your village and tell them that I am leaving and taking those in my protection with me if you follow me I will slaughter them. Tell Sarutobi that the contract between us is now void. _

The Nin looked up and watched as Naruto slowly walked back into the woods and disappeared before he climbed to his feet and started to stagger back to Konoha.

……

Umi sighed as Naruto appeared around one of the trees nearby. Temari lowered her fan as she watched him walk towards her and smiled as Umi ran up to him and embraced him. Two little children climbed out of the hole and raced to join their mother in embracing Naruto. Temari decided that maybe her brother was right after all she could trust the fox. She grinned as the little girl grabbed one of Narutos tails as if nothing had happened squealing in happiness as the tail wrapped about her and lifted her off the ground. Umi took the giggling girl and turned back to Naruto.

"So what do we do now?"

_We go meet Temari's brothers. They will have a place waiting for us and a few others of our kind who are rejected by those who despise what they do not understand. There we will be in peace._

Temari felt dumbstruck her brother was helping with this. Realizing that Konoha was going to want to retaliate soon she stepped to Naruto's side.

"If that's the case then maybe we should start moving so we can avoid more trouble with Konoha."

Naruto smiled and started walking deeper into the trees. Umi smiled at Temari and quickly followed the demon fox the little boy was left staring up at Temari who was looking a tad bit confused till he held out his hand to her. Smiling she took the offered hand and followed the others as they made their way towards a new life and possibly a new home.


End file.
